


Day Ninety-Six || Haunted

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [96]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 04:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18380948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Everyone speculates the Uchiha compound is full of ghosts. But are the rumors true?





	Day Ninety-Six || Haunted

It’s night when he first sneaks out to visit the compound on his own.

The village is dark and mostly silent, and those feelings only grow the further out he travels. Night owls linger in the center of the village, but like blood traveling out to the extremities, it dims as he nears the outskirts where the Uchiha once gathered.

He passes no one. No one to stop him, realize there’s a child wandering the streets at night. The one person who would, he left sleeping, wanting to do this by himself.

If he could go through that night and emerge alive...he can handle walking around on his own. And maybe a small part of him wants to be bothered. Give him an excuse to lash out.

Run the risk he might meet his own end...and no longer be alone.

But he never encounters anyone else.

Reaching the Uchiha district gate, still taped haphazardly with yellow strips, Sasuke ignores them and makes his way in. Beyond the light of a waxing moon, there’s nothing. Every window is dark, no lamps lit, no lanterns glowing. The compound is cold, dark, and empty.

Much how Sasuke feels.

With no real intentions, he just...walks. It’s been about two weeks since the incident. The chalk outlines of bodies have been washed away by rain, but there’s still traces of bloodstains where his kinsmen fell, never again to rise. The houses lay empty, the streets eerily silent. 

The memories he has of them full almost feel like dreams...something only he remembers. That never truly were.

In a way...it’s almost peaceful. It’s so quiet, so calm. Nothing like the Hell on Earth it had been only two weeks before. 

But there’s still an eerie feeling that crawls up Sasuke’s neck and stands the hairs upon it on end. Like he’s being watched. And yet every time he turns around, he’s still alone.

He will always be alone.

His journey lasts for about an hour before he feels...empty. Like this endeavor was pointless. Sasuke’s not sure what he thought he’d find out here. Certainly no one living...but no one dead, either. A sense of closure? No...he can’t have that. Not until Itachi is dead, and every clan man and woman avenged for the horrible deaths he brought them.

So Sasuke takes his leave, staring back at the gate for a long moment before making his way silently back home.

And all the while...he can still feel eyes on the back of his head.

A few days later, he’s cleared to return to the Academy, no longer deemed a danger to himself after the trauma of the massacre. It feels a bit odd going back. And yet there’s also something comforting. Something of a relief.

Here he can learn. Can train. Can improve and become a shinobi so that - one day - he will face Itachi, and emerge the victor.

But Sasuke doesn’t come back alone.

Like plaguing spirits, rumors and gossip surround him. Parents whisper at the Academy gate as they drop off their children. Other students stare and talk about the massacre as though he’s not in the room. No one seems to consider the effects of their words.

“Hey, didja hear?”

“What?”

“They say the Uchiha compound’s haunted…!”

“Whoa, you think so?”

“I mean, look at how many people died there. And all of them were killed! If any spirits are gonna stick around and haunt a place, doesn’t that seem like the place to do it?”

Staring straight ahead, Sasuke pretends not to hear.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“What?”

“We should go check it out!”

“W-what?! No way!”

“What, are you chicken?”

“N-no! But...I mean…”

“We can go to the graveyard, too! I bet the dirt’s still fresh…!”

Stiffening in anger, Sasuke moves to spin around...only to hear another voice pipe up, breaking with nerves.

“You...y-you better not!”

A tiny girl with short dark hair and strange pale eyes does her best to stare the two boys down.

“Heh…? Why not?”

“That’s...that’s so rude! Those people d-died. They aren’t a...a joke! You should respect the dead! Besides...there’s still one Uchiha left! A-and I bet...I bet he won’t like it if you t-trespass!”

“Yeah? What’s he gonna do? He gonna stop us? He doesn’t even live there anymore! Far as I see it, it’s free reign! No one’s there to keep us out!”

“I’ll...I’ll tell someone! They’ll send a shinobi to keep watch, and y-you’ll get in trouble!”

“You better not…!”

“Hey!”

The trio all look over as Sasuke abandons his work to approach them. There’s a furious glower on his face. “If you even step one foot near those places...I’ll kill you.”

His tone suggests he’s not bluffing.

The pair of troublemakers glance to each other, then back to Sasuke, clearly weighing their odds. “...psh, whatever. There’s no such things as ghosts, anyway.”

“Yeah...it’d be boring.”

Watching them leave, Sasuke doesn’t stop staring until they’re out of sight.

“...I-I’m sorry...I tried to make them stop…”

Moving his gaze to the girl, he manages to soften. “...at least someone did,” he murmurs. “...thanks.”

“I...I come from a clan too, so...I-I know how bad it is to have s-someone trespass. Hopefully they won’t try anything...m-maybe we should tell someone? Just in case?”

Sasuke doesn’t reply.

“...a-anyway...I’m sorry, Sasuke-kun.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll go there tonight and make sure they stay out.”

“O-oh. Okay.” Fingers twiddle, and he can tell she wants to ask something.

“...what?”

“Is...is it true…? Are there...g-ghosts?”

“...I don’t know. I don’t care. If there are...then they’ll be put back to rest when I kill my brother.”

Hinata can’t help a flinch at his bold words. “...I...I hope so. Please be careful, Sasuke-kun. Those two might t-try to cause trouble.”

“They can try. I’ll stop them.”

Watching as he leaves and wringing her hands nervously, Hinata debates what to do. Tattle, and risk making him mad…? Or leave it be?

_...Sasuke-kun... _

**Author's Note:**

> Too tired to talk, my eyes are killing me @~@ Wee drabble about the SH kiddos and ghosts. Is the compound haunted? I'd wager it would be. Naruto DOES have souls in it - why not have angry spirits and ghosts to go with it? Poor Sasuke...no one stands up for him. But at least Hinata gave it her best effort.
> 
> Sorry this is so short and honestly not that great, but...very long day, and I'm just wiped. Either way though, thanks for reading.


End file.
